


I'm So Tired Of All We're Going Through (I Don't Want To Live Like That)

by BroadwayItBitch



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: Costume Day (Andi Mack), Forgiveness, M/M, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 16:51:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18529174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BroadwayItBitch/pseuds/BroadwayItBitch
Summary: TJ fucked up. He knew he did. As soon as he walked out the door with the Double Dribble costume, he felt the guilt set in. But what made him more guilty was seeing Cyrus sad.





	I'm So Tired Of All We're Going Through (I Don't Want To Live Like That)

**Author's Note:**

> Ahh it's been a hot minute since I posted a oneshot so yeah!
> 
> Title: Elaborate Lives from Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida.

TJ fucked up. He knew he did. As soon as he walked out the door with the Double Dribble costume, he felt the guilt set in. But what made him more guilty was seeing Cyrus sad. His best friend, his crush, the love of his fucking life. He hated how when TJ looked over to Cyrus at lunch, how he looked sadly at the food Leslie packed for him.

 

TJ gave Cyrus his space after days of texting him, only giving him check in texts to make sure he was okay. Everytime, they’d be read, but no response.

 

Now it’s been at least a good three weeks since they’ve talked. TJ had basketball practice with his team, but he cancelled it because he didn’t feel like going. At least their next game isn’t for another few months. But he still shot some hoops after school to not see Cyrus.

 

He shot the basketball again, and then he heard the door open and close. Thinking it was a kid getting their stuff, he just kept doing what he was doing.

 

He turned around and saw it was Buffy. He ran to her, not caring about anything else.

 

“Buffy,” He called. She turned around, a surprised look was on her face.

 

“TJ,” She replied. “What do you want?”

 

There wasn’t any aggression in her voice. Maybe annoyance, but TJ couldn’t tell.

 

“Listen, Cyrus hasn’t texted me in weeks. I just need to know if he’s okay,” TJ revealed.

 

Buffy chewed the inside of her cheek. “He’s not okay.”

 

TJ sadly sighed, and bit his bottom lip.

 

“Why’d you ditch him, TJ? He was so excited.”

 

TJ sighed again, trying to find the right words. “Kira… she…” Tears built in his eyes.

 

“What’d she do to you?” Buffy asked with a concerned face.

 

“She blackmailed me,” TJ said, his voice wavering slightly. “She told me that if I did the costume with Cyrus, she’d tell the whole school I was… gay.”

 

Buffy gasped. She may be a bit petty, but she would never wish this for anyone.

 

“Holy shit,” She breathed. “Are you… are you okay?” TJ shrugged.

 

Kira had been pulled out of Jefferson Middle to be homeschooled. TJ was happy that she was gone, but it didn’t really help his predicament.

 

“I’m okay, I guess. I just need to know if Cyrus is mad at me.”

 

Buffy shook her head. “He would never be mad at anyone. You know that.”

 

TJ did know that. Even if Cyrus would hold a grudge, he’d never be angry or upset. But after what happened, he doubted it.

 

“How can I make him forgive me? I want him to talk to me again.”

 

Apparently TJ didn’t know how to get Cyrus to like you again. “Make a huge gesture.”

 

TJ made a confused face.

 

“You heard me. Do something big,” Buffy said.

 

“Like what? I have no creative talent whatsoever.”

 

Buffy rolled her eyes. “Sing his favorite song, ya doof.”

 

Oh, great.

 

Cyrus’ favorite song was ‘Elaborate Lives’ from _Aida_. He sang it all the time, and could always hit the notes. TJ knew it by heart, of course.

 

“In front of the whole school,” Buffy finished.

 

TJ’s eyes widened. “What? Hell no!”

 

Buffy’s face made a skeptical look. “C’mon, Teej.” She pleaded.

 

TJ had no choice. If he wanted Cyrus back, he needed to do this.

 

\--------------------

 

He was doing it. Oh, God, he was doing it.

 

TJ was lucky that Dr. Metcalf gave him permission to do this. But he wondered if he’d be lucky if Cyrus liked him again.

 

Metcalf called an assembly, but kept TJ’s singing a secret.

 

TJ waited backstage as Metcalf spoke. Metcalf decided it was a good opportunity to talk about the art and music department.

 

Amber did TJ’s makeup, which was somewhat inspired by Egyptian makeup. His outfit was inspired by Radames’ costume when the show was on Broadway.

 

TJ saw Cyrus next to Andi and Buffy, right in the fifth row.

 

“Now, we will have a special guest up here, and I want you to give him the respect he deserves while he is up here,” He said.

 

Everyone clapped, and Metcalf left the stage.

 

TJ walked up to the stage, grabbing the mic off of the stand. He heard murmurs like “is he giving a speech?” or “wrong person?”, but he didn’t care about the comments.

 

He breathed through his nose, then out through his mouth and then the music started.

 

“ _We all lead such elaborate lives,_ ” He sang. “ _Wild ambitions in our sights… How an affair of the heart survives._ ”

 

TJ saw Cyrus gasp, his jaw was pretty much at the ground.

 

“ _Days apart and hurried nights. Seems quite unbelievable to me. I don’t want to live like that. Seems quite unbelievable to me. I don’t want to love like that,_ ” TJ’s voice sounded so fluid, it was astounding to the GHC and the sports teams.

 

“ _I just want our time to be slower, and gentler. Wiser, free,_ ” TJ sang the first verse and paused for a moment. “ _We all live in extravagant times, playing games we can’t all win. Unintended emotional crimes. Take some out, take others in._ ”

 

TJ noticed that Cyrus was tearing up, even though he was five rows away from the stage.

 

“ _I'm so tired of all we're going through,_ _I don’t want to live like that_ _. I'm so tired of all we're going through,_ _I don’t want to love like that_ _._ ”

 

Cyrus shifted in his seat, wanting to leave.

 

“ _I just wanna be with you, now and forever, peaceful, true,_ ” TJ began to crescendo. “ _This may not be the moment to tell you face to face, but I could wait forever for the perfect time and place!_ ”

 

Cyrus ran up to TJ when it would be the duet part of the song.

 

“ _We all live such elaborate lives. We don’t know whose words are true,_ ” They both belted into the mic. “ _Strangers, lovers, husbands, wives. Hard to know who’s loving who._ ”

 

Cyrus had tears running down his cheeks as he sang. “ _Too many choices tear us apart, I don’t want to live like that._ ”

 

TJ was about to cry as well. “ _Too many choices tear us apart, I don’t want to love like that._ _I just want to touch your heart. May this confession…_ ” He trailed off.

 

“ _Be the start,_ ” They both calmly sang as the song ended.

 

There was silence. Then all of a sudden, everyone at the assembly started clapping loudly, whooping and howling with praise.

 

Cyrus smiled for the first time since Costume Day, and he blushed brightly. TJ smiled as well, happy to see Cyrus happy.

 

Cyrus hugged TJ tightly, which TJ reciprocated.

 

Then the bell rang, telling the students to go home.

 

“Meet me at the swings,” TJ said, and left to take the makeup off.

 

\--------------------

 

Cyrus waited by the swings, as TJ told him to do. He wondered where their friendship stood after everything that happened.

 

He didn’t swing, but he sat there, watching the cars drive by the park.

 

“This seat taken?” Someone behind him asked, and Cyrus knew who it was.

 

“No,” Cyrus replied. TJ sat on the swing next to Cyrus.

 

“So… do you wanna talk about-”

 

“Why’d you ditch me?” Cyrus interrupted.

 

TJ was taken aback, his eyes going a bit wide, and his mouth quivering.

 

“I’m so sorry, Cyrus. I swear, I was going to wear our costume,” TJ said, “But when I was getting back from hanging out with the basketball team, Kira asked to do a costume with me. I said no, but then she made me feel… uncomfortable,” He explained. “So, I would have called you, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

 

Cyrus made a perplexed look. “Uncomfortable with what?” He urged.

 

Oh, God. “With… me. With my sexual orientation,” TJ confessed.

 

The puzzle pieces came together. “You’re gay?”

 

TJ nodded shyly. “I saw you everyday being sad, you wouldn’t eat much and I got scared that you weren’t safe.”

 

Cyrus placed his hands on TJ’s shoulders. “TJ, I’m okay. And it was so long ago, so-”

 

“Don’t you dare say that it was okay. It wasn’t okay,” TJ argued. “Kira made me uncomfortable, and probably made you hate me.”

 

Cyrus shook his head. “TJ, you sent me check-in text messages every morning, you looked over to me in class and at lunch to make sure I was okay. And you sang my favorite song in front of the whole school. I could never hate you.”

 

TJ gulped. “Please, just let me in again.”

 

Cyrus hugged his friend. “Shh… it’s okay.”

 

TJ just held onto Cyrus. He didn’t dare let go.

 

“Hey, look at me,” Cyrus said, and TJ obeyed. “Remember what Aida said to Radames? In the tomb?” TJ shook his head, resulting in a no. “ _I know you'll give me courage to face what I must face with all these complications in another time and place._ ” He sang. “She knew that she and him would find each other again. No matter what.”

 

TJ looked into Cyrus’ eyes, then down at his lips, and back to his eyes.

 

“I love you,” TJ said suddenly.

 

Cyrus smiled, and closed the gap between them, crashing his lips onto TJ’s. TJ felt a euphoria spread through him. His crush is kissing him, Cyrus Goodman is kissing him.

 

They part, and rest their foreheads together.

 

“ _We all live such elaborate lives. We don’t know whose words are true,_ ” They sang softly. “ _An affair of the heart survives. All the pain this world can do._ ”

 

“ _I'm so tired of all we're going through,_ _I don’t want to live like that_ _,_ ” TJ tearfully sang.

 

“ _I'm so tired of all we're going through,_ _I don’t want to love like that_ _,_ ” Cyrus continued. “ _I just wanna be with you, now and forever, peaceful, true._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Abbey Elizabeth.


End file.
